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| Image from indigoswan.co.uk |
The highly anticipated Energy Bill has been announced, to the relief of environmental bodies and the anguish of the taxpayer. To achieve the 2020 Climate Change Act targets, energy companies are to invest £7.6bn in low-carbon power, the knock-on effect being an additional £110 to the average household bill by 2020. The Bill has won the praise of The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and energy companies such as EDF; they appreciate this step as a shift towards a low-carbon gas economy. However, the UK government have rejected the idea of compiling 2030 targets on the likely basis that gas prices may escalate from their present cheapness – reducing the public’s and manufacturers’ confidence in their ‘green’ commitment plans. Even with an influx of cheap shale gas, it is expected that gas prices will rise 40% by 2020, and the bill will be at our doorsteps. (BBC News 2012)
By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer
